January 1, 2023: Our First Hike of the Year! Happy New Years!
I guess we loved this hike so much we decided to do it again. We hiked this trail for the first time in December 2022 and knew we wanted to return. If you don’t know about Pincushion Peak, then… you should! It’s a beautiful hike near Fresno, California.
This time around we decided to watch sunset! Luckily it was not raining that day, but the trail was definitely wet and muddy but honestly not as bad as I thought it would be. We started from a different trailhead. The length of the trail was the same as the first one we did, but the elevation gain was slightly more.
The first time we hiked to Pincushion Mountain the trail was moderate difficulty, but not this time. No no. This time there was an 80-degree angled slope (don’t trust my math) that you had to climb up. It was steep!
Note to self: buy hiking poles. (Update in 2024: we did buy hiking poles. Rarely use them. lol)
This route starts at South Finegold Picnic area. The hike was beautiful! Honestly, we both enjoyed hiking from the other trailhead. But starting the hike to Pincushion Peak from the Picnic area is much more popular than the other route. Maybe because the parking area is bigger? Who knows!
Anyway, we got to the top and found the perfect spot to watch sunset. We got a really cool timelapse, too! You can watch it in our YouTube video which located at the end of this post. Sunsets are so magical.
January 29, 2023: This Time with Friends
ONE MORE TIME! This was our third time hiking up to Pincushion Peak in about a one-month period. Why are we doing this for a third time? Well, 1) it’s not a far drive from Fresno, 2) it’s a relatively short trail, 3) it’s an amazing hike, and 4) we are hiking with friends this time!
My boyfriend (now husband) and I went hiking with one of my coworkers and her boyfriend. It was so nice hiking with other people since we usually hike alone, just us two. We went on the less strenuous route which was the way we went the first time around.
The weather, unfortunately, was not as friendly as the first two times. It was very windy at the top and quite cold. Thankfully, we did not get rained on, but there were plenty of dark clouds surrounding us.
On our way back down, we saw a cow chilling and eating grass. There was another hiker who brought his dogs. I thought this trail didn’t allow dogs? Anyway, the dog ended up barking at the cow and scaring it. We were standing fairly close to the cow (we were on a narrow section of the trail with a drop off on each side of the mountain). I was so worried the cow was going to run into one of us and knock us down the mountain!
The cow ended up running in the opposite direction. Thankfully, the dog went the other way and left the cow alone. We made it back to the car safely and ate yummy Mediterranean food afterwards. Overall, it was another great experience!
Our Rating of Pincushion Peak
We give this trail a solid 9/10!
What we liked: awesome views during hike & 360-views at the top; able to see San Joaquin River and Big Table Mountain; challenging hike (we like challenges); cows roaming around; great sunset spot.
What we didn’t like: no signs on the trail. There are several other trails in the area so it can be confusing.
Interested in hiking this trail?? Click the button below to learn more and plan your next adventure! ✨
